The Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto
by EpicVizard
Summary: Kirito is imprisoned in a game he cannot escape. However, he thinks that it isn't so bad, because he has a wife and his friends by his side. However, everything changes as he is faced with the shocking truth. Will he still want to stay, or will he go back to the world he once had once more? Note-AU, where Heathcliff is faced at the 100th floor. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Hello guys! This is EpicVizard, and this is my first five. This happens on an alternate universe where Kirito does not face Heathcliff in the 75th floor. I'll do my best to update this at least every 2 days, but school is busy with newspaper and SAT Class work. Hopefully you like this story and may this provide an interesting twist to the wonderful world of SAO!

Disclaimer: I do not own SAO. All copyrights(except for new characters) go to their respective owners.

So, let's get it on! 5..4...3...2...1... Link Start!

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Aincrad... A castle in the sky.

A castle that serves as a prison to 10,000 gamers.

However, for some players, it serves as their only home, not the real world that abandoned them.

Kirito is one of those players. He is a front line warrior, a pioneer to new levels and maybe the only player with a chance of clearing the game. At level 99, he easily has the highest in-game stats, and with his dual blades skill, make him the strongest player.

Until after his defeat against Heathcliff.

He knew there was something wrong with that fight. Heathcliff's shield shouldn't have moved so fast... And now he was serving him as a Knight of the Blood.

But he will not allow these thoughts to plague his mind, because he had Asuna by his side. And now that they were married, being with her got his mind off of the reality that they were confined to this place until the game is cleared.

Now, Kirito was hunting. He was chasing some boar, but his HP was dwindling from a snake bite encountered along the way. _It hurts_, Kirito thought. _Maybe Asuna could whip up some pork steak later._ The thought empowered him, making him desperate to strike down the boar and taste Asuna's heavenly cooking. Soon enough, Kirito drags a heavy boar home, and thinks about the prospect of pork steak, smiling.


	2. Chapter 1: The Gleaming Eyes

I hope that you liked the Prologue, because I had fun writing it! I hope that I could bring you more chapters at a daily pace, because I don't want to keep Kirito and company waiting!

Anyway, enjoy the first chapter of The Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto, The First Day!

Note: The time means: years:months:weeks:days:hours:minutes/am or pm.

**Disclaimer:. I still do not own SAO. Copyrights go to Reki Kawahara and ABEC.**

Chapter I: The Gleaming Eyes

Aincrad Standard Time: 2:9:3:2:1:00 pm.

Floors cleared: 74

Players remaining: more than 6000

Leading guild: Knights of the Blood

Top player: Kirito

Kirito arrives in the 24th floor only to find out that Asuna is not there. _That's strange... She should have messaged me if she's leaving_-Kirito's eyes fall on the open closet where he notices Asuna's Knights of the Blood uniform missing. _First, I serve that guy, and then now that we're settled he sends Asuna on a mission! The nerve of that guy... _Kirito's anger with Heathcliff rose as a message flashed on his menu:

_Requesting all Knights of the Blood, we have found the 74th floor boss. Aincrad Liberation Army currently fighting the boss, «Gleam Eyes».Please station in the Dungeon Cave immediately._

_-Heathcliff, Knights of the Blood founder and leader _

_The 74th floor boss?! No wonder she left in a hurry! Better get there and not let the-_ Kirito has a sudden flashback of the deaths of his former guild mates:

_"Our crystals don't work! The Black Cats leader, Keita screamed in despair as the monsters overwhelmed them. One by one, each of Kirito's friends fell to the assault, and Sachi had tears on her eyes while smiling as she died._

_Kirito heard Sachi's last message: "Live for me and never let yourself die." He was distraught to see that the resurrection item only worked within ten seconds of death. However, he could follow Sachi's last message through but still, only after he was married to Asuna was his guilt lifted._

Kirito rushes to the cave entrance and sees that he arrived late. Everyone has already gone to the boss room, and when he got there, he saw three battered guilds weathering slowly under the might of

«Gleam Eyes». There was Klein's guild, Fuurinkazan, struggling to avoid the beasts claws and scimitar, with Klein brandishing his katana to prepare for his «Reaver» skill. There was the ALF, lying down, exhausted from the stress of arriving and fighting first. Lastly, there were the Knights of the Blood , taking up positions as Heathcliff, Asuna and Klein fought the 20-foot horned anthromorphic goat-like monster.

Kirito rushed in and slashed at the boss's torso, prompting Klein to use «Reaver» to cut the monster's legs and Heathcliff to cover Asuna from the resulting shockwave. "Asuna, Klein, back off! Heathcliff and I will take this guy!" Kirito shouted from the top of his lungs. "We're going to make this goat pay before we switch!" Klein hollered while Asuna nods. Together, they use their best skills to stun the monster, with Klein using Reaver and Asuna slashing so fast it created a small vacuum on the air around «Gleam Eyes»'s head. Using the distraction, Kirito ran up the monster's lowered blade and used «Vorpal Strike» to stab the beast's eye as it's HP went down to critical level.

Heathcliff and Kirito formed a plan: the leader will hold the monster off for ten seconds to allow Kirito to prepare his Dual Blades skill, then he will charge the monster, allowing Heathcliff to charge up his «Blade of Judgment» technique. The combined might of the game's two strongest players will surely win the battle- _if we could make it in time,_ Kirito thought. With the plan in mind, Heathcliff stood his ground while Kirito summoned his new Dark Repulser blade and got ready for his «Starburst Stream» combo. Heathcliff barely moved at all, with only his shield deftly shifting to protect him.

_Something's not right with that guy; all this hits and his HP's only just outside the yellow zone...but we'll have to work together._, Kirito thought.

"Starburst Stream!" Kirito yelled as he started his rampage on the beast. With 16 frenzy-filled hits Kirito gave his all at damaging the savage goat-monster, then Heathcliff used «Blade of Judgment» to bring the fight to a close.

Then, as everyone was celebrating the clearance of the 74th floor, Kirito suddenly sprang up and lunged at Heathcliff, bringing his sword to what was supposed to be a slight chunks in Heathcliff's armor, but a shield moved on its own to shield the supposedly dead Knights of the Blood leader, accompanied by in a text in a purple status bar that said:

_Immortal Object _

_Immortal Object... Just like that window that popped up when I hit the wall after I accidentally touched Asuna's... No wait! This means he can't get his HP in the yellow zone... Because he's only one person: he is Kayaba Akihiko! _Kirito mused furiously. "Guys! Heathcliff is Kayaba Akihiko! He cannot be killed!" Asuna and Klein noticed this too, and all three raised their swords at Kayaba threateningly.

Kayaba just chuckled. "So, you knew... But I will give you this chance to clear the game. Of course, I'll lift my immortal status, and if I am impressed but not killed I shall spare you and await you at the 100th floor." Kirito then resolved to clear the game, eyes gleaming with anger and pride.

So this is it! The first chapter is done; I know it's fast, but please bear with me because this is my first time.. And to all you Yui fans, don't fret! Yui is going to appear real soon and will have a major part in Kirito's fight for freedom, not unlike her role in the light novel/anime.

**NOTE: **I might change the rating to M depending on the amount of lemons I put. PM me if you have great ideas and I'll be glad to hear them!

This is EpicVizard, and peace out!


	3. Chapter 2: Failure and Rebirth

Hey guys! This is EpicVizard and since this is the second chapter, I will give out a short recap of what happened in Kirito's wonderful life for the past chapter-and-a-fourth.

Prologue: Kirito hunts a boar and brings it home.

Chapter 1: Kirito goes home to find Asuna missing, and rushes to help the Army, Fuurinkazan, and the Knights fight the 74th floor boss, «Gleam Eyes». Klein and Asuna distracted «Gleam Eyes» to buy time for Kirito and Heathcliff's plan to take the boss out. After the fight, Kirito exposes the true identity of Heathcliff: Kayaba Akihiko, SAO's creator and GM.

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Aincrad Standard Time : 2:9:3:2:2:30 pm

Players remaining: more than 6000

Strongest Player: Kirito

Kirito summoned his Dark Repulser. With its green blade forged from the "crystal poop" of a dragon, the Dark Repulser is a unique blade that has no other equal- forging it only had a 50/50 chance of succeeding. Against it and the Elucidator's shiny black edge is Kayaba's Laeveteinn, possessing a pearly white sheen. _Holy Sword has a 5% chance of killing monsters easily, but drops to 0.05% for humans-as if he used it against players in actual combat. He wouldn't hesitate to use it now._ Thoughts swirled around Kirito's mind as he pounced forward. His first cut was met with a clang of sparks from Kayaba's shield. He would have to use all his skills against the GM-this is a duel to the death.

Kirito pressed the attack, but soon enough Kayaba parried and sent off balance, and then used it to attempt an uncharged «Blade of Judgment» at Kirito. _His chops are stiff, but strong. And he knows how to block combos pre-programmed since he's a GM. I'll have to knock his guard off with a kick or two. _Kirito dodged, whirled, and spun madly as he struggled to avoid Kayaba's bonecrushing blows. He saw his opponent's evil grin, as Kirito prepared to use his strongest skill, «The Eclipse».

Then, Kirito saw his opponent's eyes-_He knew that I was going to use the skill! Dammit!_ It was too late to stop the combo as it started rolling- two hits, then four, ten, a frenzy of twelve hits, a downward slash, an uppercut, and a jumping overhand. His quarry blocked them all as the combo ended with Kirito still in descent.

Seeing «Blade of Judgment» coming, Kirito prepared for his counter plan, and he twisted to dodge the enemy attack at a hairline distance. Being able to pull off the first part, he kicked his target in the face, causing him to stagger, after which Kirito used «Vorpal Strike» to finally inflict damage to Kayaba. Then, thinking of another plan, Kirito used «The Eclipse» in reverse order, confusing Kayaba as Kirito steadily blew his guard away.

But then the worst happened- as the killing blow was supposed to connect, Kayaba pulled off his «Blade of Judgment», reducing Kirito's HP to 1 and incapacitating him, electing him leader of the Knights of the Blood as he left.

Kirito didn't wake up until much later.

Seeing himself in his house, one thing rang in Kirito's mind: _I failed!_

Asuna knew how he felt. "I'm thankful that you're alive, Kirito-kun. I don't know what I'll do without you..", Asuna said, crying into his shirt. "Wwwe f-f-f-found you lying there, so close to death, then Kayaba transformed into this demon thing and knocked all of us cold. It didn't hit you, though..."

"Good thing too, or else I won't get to taste that pork steak I so desperately need right now!"

"Kirito-kun, you end up near death and all you worry about is food you baka!"

"Ah, you know that I won't exchange your food for anything!"

"Bakayaro! You know that compliments won't work on beautiful women!"

"Who said that you were pretty?!"

"You did, and you were begging me for my approval in marriage!"

"You guys never change..." Klein sighed as he entered Kirito's room.

"Klein! Which one of us confessed first: me or Asuna?"

"I do not have a single idea on who proposed first, okay? So cut it because there are way more important things than your lovey-dovey chitchat."

"Woah Klein, you sure are serious today."

"Stop it Kirito! Don't you know that this would be very important since it could make Klein serious?"

"Well, Heathcliff is now in the 100th floor as this boss known as the «Demon King», this huge . He already opened the next two floors as a going-away present, but the 77th is not safe yet so we'll still have to raid it." Klein paused, then said: "Kirito, you are now the boss of the Knights. What will you do with the guild?"

"I don't really know, Klein. Maybe we should have a Guilds Alliance or something, an organization that protects the interests of all SAO players. A government or something like that."

"And you want the Knights to lead the guild?" Klein asked.

"No, I'm thinking of all guilds meeting in a council of guild leaders, and the clearers would form the army that will raid all new floors. This way, we can divide resources equally among all the 6000 plus players."

"Then who will be the leader?"

"Let the council decide."

"I think your idea is ok, but how the hell are we going to broadcast this to all of Aincrad?"

As if on cue, a bugle appeared next to Kirito, with a message from Heathcliff that says:

_Kirito, I know what you are planning. I promise I won't snoop around your conversations any longer, but allow me to help you at least this once. Using this bugle will send out a message across all of Aincrad under my voice. I will legitimize your government and spread it to all players, but use it well because the bugle breaks after one use._

_See you on the 100th floor._

_-Heathcliff , SAO GM _

It is hard for Kirito, but he accepts Heathcliff's help. Not if they all want to perish before reaching the 100th floor.


	4. Chapter 3: Kirito, Lord of Aincrad

Hello guys! This is EpicVizard and this is the third chapter of the** Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto! **Thanks to the people who put this story as a favorite! It's little things like this that keep my story going, even if it's just little. I just did an SAO marathon before posting this, and I'm all fired up! Maybe I can take on Gleam Eyes myself if I was in SAO, but sadly I still don't own it. If only I owned it...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own SAO in any way whatsoever; copyrights go to Reki Kawahara and ABEC.

Aincrad Standard Time: 2:9:3:2:8:30 pm

Players remaining: more than 6000

Strongest player: Kirito

Levels cleared:74

_SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT:_

_All guild leaders report to Grandam, Knights of the Blood HQ for the first Guilds Alliance meeting. Attendance is compulsory. _

_The Guilds Alliance is an organization of guilds formed to protect the best interests of all SAO players and to find a way to clear the last 25 floors of the game. All guild leaders will become representatives in the Alliance Council and will have equal representation. The first Assembly will elect the Lord Protector of Aincrad by representative vote and organize the government system._

_Please head there as soon as possible._

The announcement rang through the entire floating castle as guild leaders rushed to Grandam for the first ever Guild Alliance meeting.

Kirito sat down waiting for the rest of the guild leaders. So far, Klein of Fuurinkazan, Schmitt of the Divine Dragon Alliance, Yolko of the Golden Apple, Kotaru of the Fumaningun, Kibaou and Thinker of the Army, Argo the solo player, and a few others were already there. _I just wish that Keita was here-he'd make a far better guild leader than me._ Kirito brooded silently before he got up and announced the beginning of session.

"We have gathered here today on the behalf of all SAO players: to elect our leader that will guide us through the last 25 floors of this game. I am Kirito, leader of the Knights of the Blood and presiding officer of this assembly." "Kirito? The Black Swordsman?" "The Kirito who fought against Heathcliff in a duel?" Murmurs and questions rippled through the crowd. "Everyone! Gather up and take your seats in the seats, which are arranged like a circle for the sake of our unity!" Kirito shouted. "Now, let us begin."

The guild leaders have agreed to formally establish the Council as Aincrad's player-ruling body. The Army would serve as the backbone of the Level-Clearing Force, with Thinker as General. Argo and the Fumaningun will form the Peacekeeping Force which will hunt down and detain PK guilds like Titan's Hand and Laughing Coffin and jail player killers as well, being under the direction command of the Lord Protector. But the question remains: who will step up and bear the responsibility of 6000 plus players?

The argument pressed on and no decision has been made after 2 hours of discussion.

"For the sake of our safety, vote for Kirito because he's the best player!"

"No, vote for Schmitt!"

"No, for Kibaou!"

"Oi oi! Why don't we settle this in a first-strike rumble?" Klein suggested.

"A rumble it is then! All nominees in the middle please!" Schmitt said.

Kirito, Klein, Kibaou, Schmitt, and Kotaru moved towards the small circular arena formed in the space inside the chairs. The last one to remain undamaged will be the one who wins the fight while a secret criteria was passed to each observing guild leader: the the one to show restraint and avoid audience damage will become Lord Protector, because in a fight like that things could get rough.

_3...2...1... Duel Start!_

All five duelist charged forward bravely, using their skills and wits to dodge each other's attacks. Klein used «Tsujikaze» to compensate for his range, but Thinker parried and sent Klein's katana back. Kibaou and Kotaru double-teamed against Kirito, who used the same dodging strategy he used until Heathcliff-until Klein used «Iai» that created a huge shockwave, causing Kirito to use «Starburst Stream» to break the energy wave and deeming him as a worthy Lord Protector in the eyes of all guild leaders present.

"The result has been decided," proclaimed the Council in unison, "that Kirito will become our Lord Protector because of his dedication to protect us, the helpless citizens of Aincrad, from all threats that come. May Kayaba Akihiko fear you, Kirito, and may you lead us to him and free us from this prison to where we truly belong."

Cheers erupted from the chamber as Kirigaya Kazuto was elected Lord Protector of Aincrad: Thinker and Schmitt hastily said "Congratulations!" as they joined the Army and Peacekeeping Force respectively, while Klein and Kibaou shot Kirito glares (although Klein's was quite playful). But most of all, Kirito only had eyes on Asuna, who tackled and kissed him on the spot, not caring about the roar of the crowd.

"Lightning Flash Asuna is with Kirito, our Lord Protector?"

"So that means that she's the first lady of Aincrad?"

"Marry me, Kirito-kun!"

The crowd just can't stop hollering.

"Asuna, I don't care what they say, but you'll be **my **first lady. Got that?"

"Mmm-hm, Kirito... And since I'm the first lady now I could actually give you the first child of Aincrad.." Asuna cooed suggestively.

"That sounds really good now Asuna.. Want to give it a shot, milady?"

"Ah Kirito, you're such a pervert. Of course I want to.."

"Well then, let's have our first night out as the first couple of Aincrad! See you later Klein and say hi to Agil for me!" Kirito waved goodbye.

Life's funny for people like Kirito: one moment he's a hated beater, then the next moment sees him the best in all of Aincrad.

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**So there it is, guys: the third chapter of the story! I can't think of titles for the SAO's leader, so**

**I thought of Lord Protector as an option. Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 4: Duties of a Leader

Hello guys! This is EpicVizard and this is the fourth chapter of the Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto! Thank you to all those who read the story so far; as I promised, Yui will appear on THIS CHAPTER! I had to rewrite her backstory a bit to avoid continuity issues with the three chapters, but I appreciate the patience you have showed so this is the fourth chapter of the Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto, The Work of A Leader

**P.S. I might include a Klein/Sasha snippet somewhere here; you'll see later.**

**Yui protected Kirito and Asuna from a black hole bug in this version of Aincrad.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SAO or any affiliates. All rights reserved to Reki Kawahara and ABEC.**

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Aincrad Standard Time: 2:9:3:2:9:4:00 am

Players remaining: more than 6000

Strongest player: Kirito

Kirito and Asuna couldn't wait to get home.

However, Kirito was the more excited of the two. The moment they stepped inside the door, Kirito unleashed a flurry of kisses that pelted on Asuna's neck. In response, she pinned him to the wall and hugged him tightly, never letting go while Kirito observed Asuna in the fullness of her beauty. This was his Asuna, his faithful, loving, and awesome chef wife. However, both of them teared up because they thought of Yui, their AI child, who nearly got deleted by the system when she defended Kirito and Asuna from a sudden vortex in one of the woods near to their house. Yui made their house "feel like a real home" and it was very hard for the family when the tragedy struck after only a short day of being complete.

He said to Asuna, "I'll do this for our daughter, so don't be sad, ok? I don't think that she'd like to see her Papa and Mama crying, right, Asuna?"

"Don't cry, Papa, Mama, because I'll see you again soon."

"Yui?" Kirito and Asuna asked together, but no response came.

Maybe they were hallucinating, but the next day will not prove it so.

As Kirito opened the door next morning, he found a baby wrapped in cloth lying on the doorstep, with its scan name being «Yui». His eyes widened in horror as a message popped up that said:

_Kirito, congratulations on becoming leader of SAO. As a reward I sent you your daughter Yui, in the form of a baby so that you and Asuna could raise her properly as she grows back into her old self so that she could monitor the players' health better. Think of this as a parting gift and an heirloom to Asuna, because I will not do any more favors._

_Once again, see you on the 100th floor._

_Kayaba Akihiko, SAO GM _

"Asuna! It's Yui! Look, she's a baby!"Kirito yelled.

Afterwards he explained everything to her. Asuna was genuinely happy about finally raising a baby and becoming a mother, to which he sighed contentedly and smiled.

"Look, I gotta go to work now, so I guess I'll see you later at lunch?"

"Ok, Kirito. But before you leave I have something for you-"

She kissed him more passionately than usual, since he was going to officially become Yui's father.

"See you, Asuna. Love you!" Kirito waved goodbye.

He arrived at Grandam and immediately sent the Army out to scout the 75th floor. After that, he sent the lower-level guilds to the middle floors to rapidly strengthen them and make them ready for the front lines, while he tasked Yolko to look for a good source of money that will be spent on healing and teleportation crystals. He charged Lisbeth to make high-class equipment for the Clearing Force, Ashley to make clothes for them, and Agil to help the lower-level guilds to get strong enough to join the clearers.

After the morning's work is done, Kirito went home to see Asuna and Yui, and to have his lunch served before him by Asuna. Today, he had burgers, but Asuna's cooking made it sound 1000 times better than real-world burgers, in Kirito's opinion. After playing with Yui for a while and earning several scoldings of "Baka!" from Asuna, Kirito went back to HQ and started dividing the Clearing Force into proper regiments, while remembering Diabel, his dead friend, in the process:

_"Squads A to C, flank Ilfang, while me, and Squads D to G would go for the Ruin Kobold Sentinels!"_

_It was only after Diabel's death that Kirito managed to take down Ilfang, but he would always remember his first leader's brave leadership that got them through the first floor._

Nostalgic, Kirito organized the army into Squads A to G, in honor of those who fought Ilfang, especially Diabel. Each squad had a specific standard forged by Lisbeth:

Squad A- a hammer, in honor of Fuji, Squad A leader

Squad B - an axe in honor of Agil

Squad C - a torch in honor of Diabel's death

Squad D - a two-handed longsword

Squad E - dual blades in honor of Kirito

Squad F - a throwing pick

Squad G - a spear

With the standards and squads in place Kirito took a break and heaved slowly. He guessed that this was really the job of a leader. If only Diabel was here, Kirito figured that he could do a much better job than himself. "Yolko-san, could you take over the paperwork for today? I have to go to the front lines. I authorize you to finish the papers." Yolko nodded as Kirito left the room.

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This was the fourth chapter, and I'm happy that I was able to post it. PM me if you have any violent reactions/helpful suggestions about how Yui returned. I personally had no idea how to put Yui back until I saw my 2 year old niece, so I dedicate this chapter to her! If only I could become a child again... But I place my hopes and dreams in Yui. So, this is EpicVizard, yours truly, and peace out!


	6. Chapter 5: Frontline Leader

What's up guys? This is EpicVizard and this is the fifth chapter of the Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto. I hope that you like how I brought Yui back because I thought of storks delivering babies in the last moment! I didn't really know how she would turn up yesterday, but I have a clear idea of the part Yui will play in the fight to free the SAO players.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask: how do you like Kirito as leader? He used to be a solo player before, but I put him as leader to spice his otherwise monotonous life. PM me if you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, but I'll try to answer at 2 pm, Pacific Time at most. Thanks to all the people who gave helpful comments and PMs!

**Disclaimer: I strictly do not own SAO. All trademarks and copyrights go to Reki Kawahara and ABEC.**

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time:2:9:3:3:5:00 pm

Strongest player: Kirito

Players remaining:more than 6000

Strongest Guild: Knights of the Blood (de facto), Guild Alliance (de jure, recognized)

Kirito left for the 75th floor to assist the Clearing Force in mapping the dungeon. When he arrived, he got a message that the boss has been found. He sent for Asuna and together, they traveled to the boss room and saw a skeletal spider-like creature with pincers, named «The Skull Reaper». The Clearers, tired from sweeping the dungeon, slowly fell back under the claws of the giant fiend. Kirito sprang up the boss and ran up its skeletal back to attack the head. Using «Vertical Arc» to cut the head, he called for a full-force attack while he clung to one of the boss's neck bones. Everyone did their part: Schmitt disabled the claws, Klein the tail, and Asuna led the others in breaking the bones of the beast until the HP depleted completely.

"We lost fourteen people" Kirito stated somberly.

"Fourteen? And we still have 25 floors left.." Klein sighed exasperatedly.

"Would we really make it to the top?" Agil wondered.

"We'll need a lot more than that to beat Kayaba" Kirito winced.

Soon enough everyone moved to floor 76. It was just a long bridge across a sea of water leading to a tall, open door that leads to a portal.

_Strange... This floor doesn't have a boss. I thought that all levels had one, but Kayaba seems to be doing a lot of favors. _Kirito found it strange as he walked into the portal room.

But then all hell broke loose.

Spikes ejected from the walls, Ruin Kobold Sentinels started spawning and attacked the Clearing Force, and flames blazed in the edges of the door, growing larger by the moment.

He struck down a few Sentinels (which by the way, are level 50) and thought, _I need to get through the door because I think that it's made for me. _He voiced it out aloud to Klein and Asuna, who held off the Sentinels long enough for Kirito to burst through the door, arriving in an exact copy or the 1st floor boss room, complete with a doppelganger of Ilfang the Kobold Lord,one of Kirito's worst fears.

Kirito hurled his throwing picks at the necks of the Sentinels with such force that it killed them, as he rushed to confront his arch nemesis. _I was a weakling back then, but now I can get my revenge!_ Mustering all his anger and letting it guide his feet and arms, Kirito unleashed a barrage of hits on the Kobold Lord's exposed back. He followed up with «Horizontal Square» on the legs, called his Dark Repulser to his hand, and used «Snake Bite» to hit the sides simultaneously. Preparing to use «The Eclipse», he hacked at Ilfang until his health reached half, then used the most feared Dual Blades skill until Ilfang perished.

But it still wasn't over.

He saw a yellow-haired man with fairy wings (the kind you see in cartoons), donning a long green robe over a white undershirt and pants, raising a long, golden sword named «Excalibur».

He challenged him into a duel of the strongest sword versus the strongest player.

Kirito moved in first as he struck his quarry with his two swords. The recoil pushed him back, but he leaped forward as «Excalibur» grazed Kirito's cheek. He had quite a distinctive attack pattern: a side cut, a slash on the opposite side, a spinning overhand, followed by a fencing maneuver that attempted disarming. The player disrupted the attack pattern by using «Snake Bite» when his opponent spun, attacking the vulnerable sides that were crucial for gaining momentum.

With his opponent stunned and suffering from the damage, Kirito closed in for the kill. However, his prey growled as he surged forward, with wide eyes and a maniacal smile, and furiously drove Kirito back. Kirito didn't even have a chance to regain his footing, not when his opponent had an amazing reproduction of his own attack pattern. _I'll have to defeat myself if I want to clear this floor, so I gotta do something unexpected by the system._ He unequipped Dark Repulser and held Elucidator with two hands, but also readied a few throwing picks for his plan. He soon closed in gripping his sword with two hands, but he threw two throwing picks aimed at the eye at the last minute, freeing one hand and blinding his opponent in the process.

A splatter of blood came as the world faded. Kirito was back into his room.

"Kirito! Thank goodness you actually woke up!" Klein exclaimed.

"Were you unconscious or something?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah, my consciousness was somewhere else-but who cares? I'm ok." Kirito replied tiredly.

And the three, with Yui in tow, went to eat dinner.

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I swore to myself that I'd make at least 1000 words per chapter but then again I have an enormous amount of schoolwork that it's starting to weighing me down. I may not be able to update this daily, but I'll try to add more chapters ASAP. Thank you to all readers and favorite-ers that make me do more chapters, and of course to Reki Kawahara-san and ABEC for this, because we wouldn't have SAO without them and their awesomeness.

Thanks again and this is EpicVizard, and good night people!


	7. Chapter 6: Leave of Absence

Hello again everyone and this is EpicVizard with the fifth chapter of the Life and Times of Kirigaya Kazuto! I know that I'm being redundant, so you and I could refer to the story colloquially as the Kirito Chronicles or something like that. Anything to avoid too much repetition of the title, which I always do that it's already saved into my dictionary and it even predicts the next word of the title once I type. I do hope that you stick with the story until the end, because I will make this better for you guys!

Note: I'll put Klein and Sasha fluff in here, and this chapter may contain mild innuendos,so be warned!

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**Disclaimer:I strictly do not own SAO in any way whatsoever. All characters and trademarks go to Reki Kawahara and ABEC.**

Now, on with chapter six!

Aincrad Standard Time: 2:10:1:2:8:30 am

Strongest player:Kirito

Levels cleared: 76

2 weeks later, Kirito and the entire Guild Alliance were on vacation. Away from the level-clearing, the monster hunting, and the daily violent routine in SAO, Kirito and company decided to take a break and go to floor 27, a renowned beach spot where everyone cooled off.

Kirito was wearing black trousers, and Klein was wearing a maroon shirt that has the words _Hello Ladies! I'm single and see you in bed!_ emblazoned on it. Asuna meanwhile looked stunning in her white-and-red Knights of the Blood swimsuit but Yui, now in the form of a three-year old, wore a yellow-green bathing suit and her hair was done in pigtails.

Klein strangely was scanning the entire beach area with binoculars while sitting in his recliner. " It's a girl farm here! I wonder which ones are available?" He inquired to Kirito. "Klein, do you even wonder how girls would like you?" Kirito answered.

"Girls love me!"

"Says the guy who doesn't have a girlfriend!"

"Lucky bastard Kirito! Damn you for getting Asuna!"

"Klein," Kirito counseled, "if you want a girlfriend for love, go talk to someone and stop looking at your binoculars! Why don't you go talk to Sasha over there?"

Klein already trudged towards Sasha, the owner of the day care center in floor 1, and began talking to her.

His job done, Kirito got up and set off to play with Asuna (unknown to everyone, she mastered her sculpting skill a long time ago) and Yui. They were busy building a sandcastle, but Yui pouted, so Asuna made a sand version of Aincrad instead. Kirito drew out an item of his called «Gravi-Pad» which allowed the castle to float, earning a delighted squeal of "Papa!" from Yui.

_If only everyday in the real world was like this... I would never want to go... But it's not like that._ Kirito reflected silently before Asuna sprayed sand in his face. _This is a beach, so playing rough won't hurt her...I'm going to get revenge on her. _Grinning evilly, Kirito hurled himself at her and pinned her to the ground. "Kirito, you know that I'm good in aikido" Asuna squeaked, but she got a very perverted reply: "If you're good in aikido, I'm a master of judo. And I specialize in pinning techniques." She reluctantly attempted to break free of the hold as Yui cheered, as the child thought that his parents were doing nothing serious. Kirito and Asuna continued to be locked in this stalemate until a wall of sand sent by Klein's «Tsujikaze» crashed over them, preventing Yui from seeing their perverted activities.

Not even a moan was heard when Kirito and Asuna were hurled into the water by a «Tsujikaze» aimed for the ground underneath them, sending them flying to the sea and gasping for breath.

The couple rose up laughing together, their love emanating from them and their smiles showing genuine happiness. In a flash, they splashed water into Klein's camera, forcing him and Sasha to

follow them to the water. Soon enough everyone was in the water frolicking and having fun and not-at least for the moment-not worrying about losing more lives in an attempt to clear the last 24 floors.

Kayaba Akihiko-yes, _**THE **_creator of SAO, was also having a break. Sad to say, Kayaba's vacation is not as fun as the Alliance's; he merely sat down in his ruby-encrusted chamber, the final boss room of the game. He just looked around as if he was bored; which is what anyone would feel if they were supposed to wait for someone who might never come. Nevertheless, he had a lot of things to think about: his (hopefully) upcoming fight with Kirito, the outside world and Rinko, his lover, and of course there was his immortality technique.

He tried not to think about his death; it would surely come, since Kirito was determined to clear this game. But being the Demon King, the final boss, Kayaba needed to make Kirito's life a little more exciting than its current, pathetic state. Ah yes, he would make the final battle worthy of a real-world orchestral encore. And since he would be immortal soon, he could maintain his presence over the VMMO world even after he was gone, courtesy of that special item.

So he set himself to work.

Kirito and Asuna enjoyed the rest of the day. There were some near kisses between Klein and Sasha, but considering his ladies man personality, it was quite normal. They caught up on each other so quickly that Kirito wondered if Klein really managed to get a girl this time.

He never thought that this leave of absence was going to start something new...

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So there it is! I thank everyone for 1000 + views! Thank you thank you thank you thank you for all of you guys that took the time to read this story and since this is just my first week being a FanFiction member, I am indebted to all of my faithful readers and followers. Special thanks to lowcrawler for PMing me on a lot of stuff, as well as for getting this into a forum!

Thanks to all, and peace out!


	8. Chapter 8: The March Towards War

**Disclaimer:I strictly do not own SAO or any of its affiliates. All trademarks and copyrights go to their respective owners.**

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Aincrad Standard Time: unknown

Strongest player :Kirito

Players remaining : more than 6000

Strongest Guild : Knights of the Blood (de facto), Guild Alliance (de jure)

Floors cleared:76

Everything is a dream.

The world was a dream, so is the life there, so are the swords, the fights, the monsters, and even his name was a dream.

But the people were not.

His friends were real, his experiences, his feelings, his existence, Asuna's touch, her lips feeling so good beside his; their love was all real.

And so was the fact that they were facing an insurmountable task ahead of them...

Kirito woke up as an invasion rocked his apartment in the 35th floor. People were screaming and the neighborhood was set ablaze. Asuna and Yui were already dressed while he was still in pajamas, rubbing the sleepiness off. Rushing outside, the family encountered Laughing Coffin members in the street, torches in hand and blades ready to taste blood. Kirito, still in pajamas, summoned his Dark Repulser and engaged the PKers in combat while Asuna shielded Yui from danger.

Kirito slashed the torches off as he defended his family from harm. The fight was going in his advantage while his opponents were forced on the defensive. He noticed that it was his first time using Dark Repulser without his Elucidator in actual combat, smiling to himself as he ducked and rolled to avoid incoming attacks. He remembered an old anime he watched about a red-haired,facially scarred samurai,using an aerial spinning maneuver from his well-known style of swordsmanship. Kirito then took the chance to test it. He used a newly fallen boulder for a springboard, whirling 360 degrees and using «Vorpal Strike» as he barreled towards his unfortunate victims. He had actually done that famous technique: Ryukansen, Tsumuji...

Then he realized something- he could actually execute all the techniques of famous swordsmen: SAO was fun that way.

Finishing up the last of the Laughing Coffin members, Kirito headed for the 24th floor to see Asuna and Yui anxious at home. He then messaged all surviving Guild Alliance personnel to regroup in his house so that they can retake HQ. "It will be okay" He assuaged and comforted his family as his colleagues arrived.

He did a head count of all personnel: most of the Council survived, as well as the smiths, his aides, and other government employees. However, the Clearing Force took the most damage as they lost a fourth of their numbers. _This will be harder than Gleam Eyes or Skull Reaper_, Kirito thought somberly as everyone tried fitting in the small house.

Kirito, Kibaou, Thinker, Asuna, and Argo surveyed the map of Grandam. The city was now enclosed with barricades (Laughing Coffin forgot to steal map data, so it updates according to changes in landscape), and extra security was placed on the outlying fields. Everyone shuddered at the sight of the HQ, having a black flag with the Laughing Coffin insignia emblazoned on it. Kirito figured that the city won't hold up for more than a few weeks since food was limited in supply, which turned out in their advantage.

"Listen up, everyone! We need to strengthen what troops we have left", Asuna called, " So we'll send people to the 77th floor to get rare items." Klein was the first to embark on a quest to find a better katana, and everyone followed suit. However, things were interrupted by a message from Johnny Black:

_"Greetings, Guild Alliance! We are the Skull Reapers and we have your beloved city as a hostage. Tell your bastard lord protector and his little bitch that if you don't want the people here to go.." _Johnny Black drew a line at his neck using his finger_. "Take your little people here or see the city go bye bye!"_ Johnny Black laughed maniacally as his transmission ended.

"They really named themselves after SAO's most feared boss just to make a scary effect" Kirito stated as the group fell silent.

Later, when all the hubbub was done, Kirito went outside to get some fresh air. He felt the burden of being Lord Protector weighing down on him like a curse holding a deceased person back from passing on. Asuna, knowing him as always, put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he sighed like an old man slowly waiting for his death sentence. "Relax, brooding is not going to help you"she assured his tortured soul, planting a kiss on his cheek. Smiling wistfully, he looked at the sunset from the railing.

These people depended on him.

Everyone was ready after two days. The plans were drawn up and the forces assembled in ranks. Kirito and Asuna were going to go ahead and meet with the Skull Reapers, maybe bargain for the safety of the civilians while all the forces are in standby if a brawl breaks out.

As if a fight can be prevented anyway.

"This is not a good idea." Klein suggested, "Maybe we should attack first."

"It's like we're already jeopardizing the people if we charge in first" Kirito replied. "Would you want to kill them first?"

"But what if this was a-"

"That's why we need to have our weapons ready and blades trained in their necks. Get the throwers ready." Kirito finished. Klein nodded and started off towards the soldiers.

It was then that a message popped up on Kirito's inbox. _New skill learned_, it said. _Dual Blades skill: «Armor Breaker»_. A smile crept to Kirito's mouth. _This would be pretty useful..._

Kirito went out to see all the soldiers-his soldiers-lined up obediently, awaiting his command. They were an arm of his will and the hope of all SAO players. Shattering a spare helmet with a blow of his two swords, Kirito proved to all the people watching that no one-no sane human being would ever want to mess with him.


End file.
